Shoppers at Lakeside Joondalup were treated to a football frenzy on Thursday night as the West Coast Eagles and West Perth Falcons teamed up to support two important initiatives: Harmony Day, a day to celebrate Australia's rich cultural diversity, and the National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence, both held on Friday, March 21.

Dedicated promotions, prizes and giveaways were provided to educate families about Harmony Day, promoting cultural respect for everyone who calls Australia home. The Bullying, No Way! message was also reinforced through giveaways and information for school-aged children. Read more ...

WEST Perth put together a remarkable 12 minutes of football to recover from a 33-point deficit to get within three points of East Fremantle in the dying minutes in Saturday's WAFL season-opener but the Sharks just held on for the victory at East Fremantle Oval.

Things didn’t come together for the first three and-a-half quarters for West Perth on Saturday in the opening match of the 2014 season and to start the Falcons' premiership defence, but there was too much self belief, quality and experience in the team not to fight back.

West Perth did find itself 33 points behind at the 10-minute mark of the fourth quarter, but the Falcons then put together a 12-minute period of inspired football to boot five goals and suddenly get within three points, but the Sharks just held on to win by those three points in the finish.

Shane Nelson's last official game for the Falcons was last year's grand final where he racked up 36 possessions and 13 clearances, and he started 2014 where he left off with another 37 disposals and 10 clearances against the Sharks on Saturday.

Fellow young midfielder Aaron Black also started off the new season impressively with 28 possessions.

Rohan Kerr, who booted five goals in the grand final, worked hard for 26 possessions as well while veteran on-baller Matt Guadagnin contributed 23 touches.

Andrew Strijk had 26 possessions off half-back before hurting his shoulder late in the game while Jordan Jones had 22 touches in defence with Luke Tedesco gathering 19 touches, Steven Browne 18 and Trent Manzone 17.

Two goals in a minute in the opening quarter to East Perth recruit Boston Williamson got East Fremantle on top early and despite closing to within four points at the start of the third quarter with a goal to Potente, the Falcons trailed the entire day.

For three and-a-half quarters, West Perth missed countless targets around the ground with disappointing kicking sills and East Fremantle took full advantage with many of the Sharks goals coming on the turnover.

The Falcons then continually went inside their forward 50 heading towards the pocket the wind was blowing the ball to and the usual result was out on the full, out of bounds or being in a position impossible to score from.

For three and-a-half quarters, West Perth struggled to find targets around the ground and attacked inside its forward 50, but when the Falcons fell 33 points down in the fourth quarter they started to turn it on.

Suddenly desperate, the Falcons ran harder, hit their targets and found some space to kick five straight goals and get within three points, but Brett Peake's third goal and a remarkably courageous defensive mark from Matthew Jupp saw East Fremantle hold on to win 11.7 (73) to 10.10 (70).

Meanwhile in the reserves, West Perth fought back hard after trailing by 31 points at half-time to kick four goals to one in the third quarter, and then three goals to two in the last but ended up coming up short by 10 points.

Brayden Antonio was outstanding for the Falcons' reserves finishing with 32 possessions while Drew Rohde kicked four goals in an impressive performance.

Jack Thrum also gathered 25 disposals with James Batterham finishing the game with 23 touches, Aidan Lynch 22, Corey Chalmers 19, Max Alexander 17 and Seva Martin 41 hit outs in the ruck in his first official appearance for West Perth.

And in the colts to start the day at East Fremantle Oval, the Falcons lost to the Sharks by 21 points but Liam Pardini kicked two goals, and Mitchell Peirce racked up 19 possessions, Dean Munns 18 and William Michell 17.

BY CHRIS PIKEWEST Perth put together a remarkable 12 minutes of football to recover from a 33-point deficit to get within three points of East Fremantle in the dying minutes in Saturday's WAFL season-opener but the Sharks just held on for the victory at East Fremantle Oval.

Things didn’t come together for the first three and-a-half quarters for West Perth on Saturday in the opening match of the 2014 season and to start the Falcons' premiership defence, but there was too much self belief, quality and experience in the team not to fight back.

West Perth did find itself 33 points behind at the 10-minute mark of the fourth quarter, but the Falcons then put together a 12-minute period of inspired football to boot five goals and suddenly get within three points, but the Sharks just held on to win by those three points in the finish.

Shane Nelson's last official game for the Falcons was last year's grand final where he racked up 36 possessions and 13 clearances, and he started 2014 where he left off with another 37 disposals and 10 clearances against the Sharks on Saturday.

Fellow young midfielder Aaron Black also started off the new season impressively with 28 possessions.

Rohan Kerr, who booted five goals in the grand final, worked hard for 26 possessions as well while veteran on-baller Matt Guadagnin contributed 23 touches.

Andrew Strijk had 26 possessions off half-back before hurting his shoulder late in the game while Jordan Jones had 22 touches in defence with Luke Tedesco gathering 19 touches, Steven Browne 18 and Trent Manzone 17.

Two goals in a minute in the opening quarter to East Perth recruit Boston Williamson got East Fremantle on top early and despite closing to within four points at the start of the third quarter with a goal to Potente, the Falcons trailed the entire day.

For three and-a-half quarters, West Perth missed countless targets around the ground with disappointing kicking sills and East Fremantle took full advantage with many of the Sharks goals coming on the turnover.

The Falcons then continually went inside their forward 50 heading towards the pocket the wind was blowing the ball to and the usual result was out on the full, out of bounds or being in a position impossible to score from.

For three and-a-half quarters, West Perth struggled to find targets around the ground and attacked inside its forward 50, but when the Falcons fell 33 points down in the fourth quarter they started to turn it on.

Suddenly desperate, the Falcons ran harder, hit their targets and found some space to kick five straight goals and get within three points, but Brett Peake's third goal and a remarkably courageous defensive mark from Matthew Jupp saw East Fremantle hold on to win 11.7 (73) to 10.10 (70).

Meanwhile in the reserves, West Perth fought back hard after trailing by 31 points at half-time to kick four goals to one in the third quarter, and then three goals to two in the last but ended up coming up short by 10 points.

Brayden Antonio was outstanding for the Falcons' reserves finishing with 32 possessions while Drew Rohde kicked four goals in an impressive performance.

Jack Thrum also gathered 25 disposals with James Batterham finishing the game with 23 touches, Aidan Lynch 22, Corey Chalmers 19, Max Alexander 17 and Seva Martin 41 hit outs in the ruck in his first official appearance for West Perth.

And in the colts to start the day at East Fremantle Oval, the Falcons lost to the Sharks by 21 points but Liam Pardini kicked two goals, and Mitchell Peirce racked up 19 possessions, Dean Munns 18 and William Michell 17.

A tricky wind and rusty skills ensured that the game at Shark Park didn’t rise to any great level but East Fremantle made the most of their opportunities to lead all day and run out three point winners. The Sharks appeared to have the game all sewn up at the ten minute mark of the last quarter when they led by thirty three but the Falcons piled on the pressure to just fall short.

As you would expect for the first game of the year the intensity was up but the skills were down, this in conjunction with a strong swirling breeze ensured that the match was a scrappy affair. Big man Robert Young kicked the first goal of the game at the six minute mark when he took a strong grab in the square. Seven minutes later West Perth big man Shaun Marusic marked and kicked a very good goal from fifty out on the boundary. The Sharks grabbed the momentum from here though and kicked the next two goals to lead by fourteen at the twenty minute mark. The highlight of the term for the Falcons was a wonderful mark by Trent Manzone who was running towards the square and marked looking over his shoulder. It saved a certain goal. The only other major for the quarter went to the Falcons and it was courtesy of a very good boundary kick from Matt Guadagnin. At the first change the Falcons trailed by seven; 3.2 (20) to 2.1 (13). It was a good result as the Sharks had the best of the play.

The skills of both sides continued to be below par going into the second quarter and it wasn’t until the thirteen minute mark before the first score occurred. Jack Perham hit the scoreboard for East Fremantle and when Michael Edwards did it again three minutes later the Sharks had extended the lead to nineteen. To the Falcons credit they steadied to claw their way back into the game. Their only goal for the quarter came at the twenty nine minute mark when a long kick forward by Marc Crisp enabled Jay van Berlo to run onto the ball and finish from the square. At the main break the Falcons trailed by only ten; 5.2 (32) to 3.4 (22).

At the six minute mark of the third quarter Steve Potente laid a great tackle in the middle of the ground. He was rewarded with a free kick and fifty metres. His accurate kick from forty narrowed the margin to just four but this was to be the Falcons only goal for the quarter. The Sharks applied the pressure and kicked three to just about put the game out of the Falcons reach. At the final change they were down by twenty two; 8.5 (53) to 4.7 (31).

East Fremantle surged in the early part of the final term to kick the first two majors and lead by thirty three after ten minutes. At this stage the Falcons had only kicked four goals for the game and victory seemed highly improbable. But from here West Perth surged on the back of some very good clearance work by Jay van Berlo. The co-captain really stood up to lead the revival. The Falcons started to run the ball and hit targets, something that had been missing previously. Jay van Berlo got the ball rolling by kicking his second from thirty, Ray Bartholomew finished on the run from well outside fifty and when Anthony Tsalikis marked and finished from forty the lead had been reduced to fourteen at the nineteen minute mark. Jay van Berlo had a hand in each of these goals. He was once again involved out of the middle when “Razor” kicked his second goal on the run from outside fifty. Both goals were a delight to see. At the twenty six minute mark the lead was reduced to just three when Matt Fowler snapped from the boundary twenty out after receiving a free for an out of bounds on the full. An unlikely victory loomed. The Falcons continued to attack but their efforts were thwarted by a wonderful mark by Matthew Jupp twenty out of his defensive goal as he ran with the ball. From here the Sharks rebounded and Brett Peake kicked his third from the square to extend the lead to nine. One could be excused for thinking that the game was done but this was not to be the case. The Falcons went forward out of the middle thanks to Shane Nelson and Jordan Jones, who had been moved forward after a strong game in defence, scrambled a goal from the square. The margin was back to three after twenty nine. West Perth continued to attack but didn’t take advantage of their control and when the siren went at the thirty three minute mark they were three short of victory. The final score was 11.7 (73) to 10.10 (70).

East Fremantle led all day and would have been unlucky to lose. The hit out would have done the Falcons the world of good and they will be much improved next week against Claremont. Best players for West Perth included Andrew Strijk (let’s hope that his shoulder injury is not too bad), Jordan Jones, Jay van Berlo, Anthony Tsalikis and Shane Nelson. The Reserves and Colts also suffered narrow defeats. Be at the Arena next week for the unfurling of the premiership flag before the game against Claremont.

UNDERSTANDABLY West Perth coach Bill Monaghan has noticed a greater self-belief in his playing squad after winning last year's premiership, but he has not seen anything whatsoever that could be considered over confidence.

Monaghan simply feels that the self-belief is more of a confirmation that success can come if they do everything right that the coaching and fitness staff ask of them.

There have been little changes to the West Perth playing squad from 2013 with the only premiership players moving on being Jason Salecic, Josh Mellington and Mark Hutchings.

Then Michael Pettigrew, Frank Stockley and Anton Saylor are the only other players who played a league match in 2013 who aren’t still running around with West Perth in 2014.

With 19 premiership players remaining and the likes of Brayden Antonio, Matt Johnson, Trent Manzone and Anthony Tsalikis who will be desperate to get that feeling themselves this year, West Perth's pre-season work has been something that Monaghan has been impressed with.

He has been impressed with the attitude of the group as well which remains ground despite having the confirmation last year that if they do all the right things, they can finish up with the ultimate success.

"Obviously confidence in themselves and that of the group is huge after winning a premiership and you can't be successful probably at anything in life if you don’t have some sort of self-belief. What we all have to guard against is making sure that belief and confidence doesn’t go into arrogance and I don’t think that's the case with our group," Monaghan said.

"I've been really happy with how grounded the players have been and they've all come back in good nick and knowing that they have to do a certain level of work in preparation to play. There is a confidence amongst the group as there should be as the reigning premiers, but there hasn’t been anyone I've had to pull up and tell to pull their head in.

"It has all been about focusing and making sure we are doing all the little thing that add up to success, not looking at the end result and thinking we are going to win another grand final. We know a huge amount of work needs to be done for that to even be a possibility let alone a reality."

West Perth's pre-season program didn’t change hugely, but Monaghan put faith in strength and conditioning coach Craig Soley to make some changes in the running and strength work being done, and he has been tremendously happy with the final results ahead of the season kicking off.

"I have been really happy with our pre-season in terms of the attitude of the players. The program we've run has changed a little bit from last year and there has been slightly different focuses in our speed running and strength work, and that's an on-going process as it is with all conditioning coaches," Monaghan said.

"We are trying as hard as we can to stay up to date with the latest trends in conditioning but the attitude of the players has been fantastic. Whether that translates into winning games is the great unknown, but all I know and all we have been able to control is the fact that when the players have come to training, they have trained with enthusiasm and intent.

"We think that will hold us in good stead for the season, but how much other sides improve and how much we improve, and how strong the aligned clubs will be are all questions we don’t know the answers to.

"All we can do now is hit Round 1 against East Fremantle and put in our best effort, and if our best effort is good enough to win then everyone will be happy. We are confident that we are well-placed, but that doesn’t mean that we just rock up in Round 1 and will win."

BY CHRIS PIKEUNDERSTANDABLY West Perth coach Bill Monaghan has noticed a greater self-belief in his playing squad after winning last year's premiership, but he has not seen anything whatsoever that could be considered over confidence.

Monaghan simply feels that the self-belief is more of a confirmation that success can come if they do everything right that the coaching and fitness staff ask of them.

There have been little changes to the West Perth playing squad from 2013 with the only premiership players moving on being Jason Salecic, Josh Mellington and Mark Hutchings.

Then Michael Pettigrew, Frank Stockley and Anton Saylor are the only other players who played a league match in 2013 who aren’t still running around with West Perth in 2014.

With 19 premiership players remaining and the likes of Brayden Antonio, Matt Johnson, Trent Manzone and Anthony Tsalikis who will be desperate to get that feeling themselves this year, West Perth's pre-season work has been something that Monaghan has been impressed with.

He has been impressed with the attitude of the group as well which remains ground despite having the confirmation last year that if they do all the right things, they can finish up with the ultimate success.

"Obviously confidence in themselves and that of the group is huge after winning a premiership and you can't be successful probably at anything in life if you don’t have some sort of self-belief. What we all have to guard against is making sure that belief and confidence doesn’t go into arrogance and I don’t think that's the case with our group," Monaghan said.

"I've been really happy with how grounded the players have been and they've all come back in good nick and knowing that they have to do a certain level of work in preparation to play. There is a confidence amongst the group as there should be as the reigning premiers, but there hasn’t been anyone I've had to pull up and tell to pull their head in.

"It has all been about focusing and making sure we are doing all the little thing that add up to success, not looking at the end result and thinking we are going to win another grand final. We know a huge amount of work needs to be done for that to even be a possibility let alone a reality."

West Perth's pre-season program didn’t change hugely, but Monaghan put faith in strength and conditioning coach Craig Soley to make some changes in the running and strength work being done, and he has been tremendously happy with the final results ahead of the season kicking off.

"I have been really happy with our pre-season in terms of the attitude of the players. The program we've run has changed a little bit from last year and there has been slightly different focuses in our speed running and strength work, and that's an on-going process as it is with all conditioning coaches," Monaghan said.

"We are trying as hard as we can to stay up to date with the latest trends in conditioning but the attitude of the players has been fantastic. Whether that translates into winning games is the great unknown, but all I know and all we have been able to control is the fact that when the players have come to training, they have trained with enthusiasm and intent.

"We think that will hold us in good stead for the season, but how much other sides improve and how much we improve, and how strong the aligned clubs will be are all questions we don’t know the answers to.

"All we can do now is hit Round 1 against East Fremantle and put in our best effort, and if our best effort is good enough to win then everyone will be happy. We are confident that we are well-placed, but that doesn’t mean that we just rock up in Round 1 and will win."

THE West Perth Football Club coaching staff continues to go to great lengths to improve and provide the very best in coaching to the Falcons' players and in 2014 that includes the addition of a new development coaching role.

There have been minimal changes to the West Perth coaching staff in 2014 with Bill Monaghan again the senior coach and joined by Paul Sanzone and Craig Smoker while Devan Perry has moved on for 2014 after being forwards coach for the 2013 premiership.

Trevor Screaigh has been promoted from being a development coach to being the forwards coach in 2014 while Michael Pratt and Ian Strover have moved into development coaching role with Strover's job solely to help with the Falcons players going back to play with Amateur clubs.

Monaghan is confident that once again he will have strong support from his coaching staff and even though he will miss the input in the box of Perry, he understands his decision that he couldn’t commit to another season of WAFL football.

"We have lost Devan Perry. His work commitments mean that he doesn’t have the time but he was outstanding with us," Monaghan said.

"Even though he predominately coached our forwards which isn’t where he played, he has been around successful sides and is a three-time premiership player so he really brought a different view to a lot of people at West Perth.

"Most of the people at West Perth are long-time West Perth people so he gave the players a different viewpoint. He only spoke when he had something to add and he really helped the dynamics of our coaching and playing group, but he has moved on."

As for the changes to the coaching group in 2014, as well as Screaigh becoming an assistant coach, the new development coaching roles for both Pratt and Strover is something that Monaghan helps will end up being tremendously successful.

He is especially happy to now have Strover take up a role which will help the relationship of West Perth players with Amateur clubs grow, and also allow the Falcons to follow closely how their players are performing while back there.

"We have promoted Trevor Screaigh who was one of our development coaches last year, and he will be our forwards coach and we are looking forward to him stepping up. He coached his own amateur side a couple of years ago and has been with us since then," he said.

"We have also added two new development coaches and they are Michael Pratt who has been involved at North Beach for a number of years, and Ian Strover whose main role will be to liaise with our community clubs and watch our players who go back to play amateur footy.

"We just found that it was an area that we could service a bit better and resources and time is always an issue, but we think there are huge benefits in having someone from our club dealing directly with community clubs and watching our players play when they are there.

"We are excited to add that new role to our development structure, but he certainly won't be interfering on game day with our players like the AFL clubs do. His job when watching is to purely observe and not get involved because we need to let the coaches at those clubs coach."

Meanwhile, over the summer Monaghan, Smoker and Sanzone all attended an AFL Coaching Conference in Adelaide and they learned some things which they hope to now bring back to West Perth and help the playing squad even further in 2014.

"It went really well. The hardest part of those coaches' conferences is making sure that you are going to the right sessions and the ones that you will get something out of. The keynote speakers were outstanding and right from the pointy end of high performance and coaching," Monaghan said.

"Darren Burgess spoke who is back at Port Adelaide now after doing time at Liverpool so it was exciting to hear from him.

"There were other sessions with fantastic presenters so you just had to pick the right ones to go to. We were after high performance ideas so some of it gave us some great ideas and it was a really valuable experience for the three of us to go to."

BY CHRIS PIKETHE West Perth Football Club coaching staff continues to go to great lengths to improve and provide the very best in coaching to the Falcons' players and in 2014 that includes the addition of a new development coaching role.

There have been minimal changes to the West Perth coaching staff in 2014 with Bill Monaghan again the senior coach and joined by Paul Sanzone and Craig Smoker while Devan Perry has moved on for 2014 after being forwards coach for the 2013 premiership.

Trevor Screaigh has been promoted from being a development coach to being the forwards coach in 2014 while Michael Pratt and Ian Strover have moved into development coaching role with Strover's job solely to help with the Falcons players going back to play with Amateur clubs.

Monaghan is confident that once again he will have strong support from his coaching staff and even though he will miss the input in the box of Perry, he understands his decision that he couldn’t commit to another season of WAFL football.

"We have lost Devan Perry. His work commitments mean that he doesn’t have the time but he was outstanding with us," Monaghan said.

"Even though he predominately coached our forwards which isn’t where he played, he has been around successful sides and is a three-time premiership player so he really brought a different view to a lot of people at West Perth.

"Most of the people at West Perth are long-time West Perth people so he gave the players a different viewpoint. He only spoke when he had something to add and he really helped the dynamics of our coaching and playing group, but he has moved on."

As for the changes to the coaching group in 2014, as well as Screaigh becoming an assistant coach, the new development coaching roles for both Pratt and Strover is something that Monaghan helps will end up being tremendously successful.

He is especially happy to now have Strover take up a role which will help the relationship of West Perth players with Amateur clubs grow, and also allow the Falcons to follow closely how their players are performing while back there.

"We have promoted Trevor Screaigh who was one of our development coaches last year, and he will be our forwards coach and we are looking forward to him stepping up. He coached his own amateur side a couple of years ago and has been with us since then," he said.

"We have also added two new development coaches and they are Michael Pratt who has been involved at North Beach for a number of years, and Ian Strover whose main role will be to liaise with our community clubs and watch our players who go back to play amateur footy.

"We just found that it was an area that we could service a bit better and resources and time is always an issue, but we think there are huge benefits in having someone from our club dealing directly with community clubs and watching our players play when they are there.

"We are excited to add that new role to our development structure, but he certainly won't be interfering on game day with our players like the AFL clubs do. His job when watching is to purely observe and not get involved because we need to let the coaches at those clubs coach."

Meanwhile, over the summer Monaghan, Smoker and Sanzone all attended an AFL Coaching Conference in Adelaide and they learned some things which they hope to now bring back to West Perth and help the playing squad even further in 2014.

"It went really well. The hardest part of those coaches' conferences is making sure that you are going to the right sessions and the ones that you will get something out of. The keynote speakers were outstanding and right from the pointy end of high performance and coaching," Monaghan said.

"Darren Burgess spoke who is back at Port Adelaide now after doing time at Liverpool so it was exciting to hear from him.

"There were other sessions with fantastic presenters so you just had to pick the right ones to go to. We were after high performance ideas so some of it gave us some great ideas and it was a really valuable experience for the three of us to go to."

Then there is Anthony Tsalikis who was injured just before last year's finals, rising players Matt Johnson, Trent Manzone and James Batterham, and recruits Marcus Adams, Seva Martin who are trying to break into that premiership side.

Adams is a bustling key forward who made his WAFL debut with Swan Districts in 2011 and he looks set to become a cornerstone of the Falcons' forward-line alongside Tsalikis, Fowler, Johnson, Crisp and whichever other tall coach Bill Monaghan wants to put down there.

Martin also arrives as a ruckman from Subiaco to offer support to premiership big man Keunen.

West Perth comes into the season having won its two pre-season hit outs, both at Leederville's Medibank Stadium, against East Perth and Subiaco.

On both occasions, the Falcons ran over the top of their opposition so that points to a strong fitness program run over the pre-season by Craig Soley which Monaghan and his coaching staff put full faith in.

East Fremantle, meanwhile, might have missed the finals last year coming off the 2012 grand final but does have a strong looking line-up.

Then there is Anthony Tsalikis who was injured just before last year's finals, rising players Matt Johnson, Trent Manzone and James Batterham, and recruits Marcus Adams, Seva Martin who are trying to break into that premiership side.

Adams is a bustling key forward who made his WAFL debut with Swan Districts in 2011 and he looks set to become a cornerstone of the Falcons' forward-line alongside Tsalikis, Fowler, Johnson, Crisp and whichever other tall coach Bill Monaghan wants to put down there.

Martin also arrives as a ruckman from Subiaco to offer support to premiership big man Keunen.

West Perth comes into the season having won its two pre-season hit outs, both at Leederville's Medibank Stadium, against East Perth and Subiaco.

On both occasions, the Falcons ran over the top of their opposition so that points to a strong fitness program run over the pre-season by Craig Soley which Monaghan and his coaching staff put full faith in.

East Fremantle, meanwhile, might have missed the finals last year coming off the 2012 grand final but does have a strong looking line-up.

WEST Perth wanted to add some height with the loss of Frank Stockley, Michael Pettigrew and Josh Mellington coming into 2014, and premiership coach Bill Monaghan likes the look of arrivals Seva Martin, Matthew Spencer and Marcus Adams already.

There was no need for the Falcons to look to make many changes following the 2013 premiership victory with only captain Jason Salecic retiring, Fremantle's Mellington being delisted and Mark Hutchings being forced to play with East Perth while listed by West Coast.

Those are the only three players not at the club in 2014 who played in the premiership and then Frank Stockley wanted the chance to be a No. 1 ruckman so left for Subiaco after winning the WAFL's best reserves player award in 2013.

That meant that Monaghan was very specific on what he wanted to recruit coming into 2014.

When it became clear there was a chance to sign Andrew Krakouer that was an added bonus, but the Falcons focused on an emerging ruckman to fill in for the loss of Stockley and to back up Chris Keunen, and that's where Martin fits in from Subiaco.

The retirement of Pettigrew meant that there was room for another experienced defender to help out Dan Hunt and the emerging Nick Rodda and Shaun Marusic, and that's where former Geelong defender and Swan Districts premiership player Spencer came into it.

And there was also room for a bullocking forward to provide a target to work alongside of Anthony Tsalikis, Matt Fowler, Matt Johnson, Kody Manning and then at times tall targets like Rodda and Shayne Zanetti – which is where former Swan Districts 20-year-old Adams came into it.

Monaghan is happy to be coming into 2014 with the addition of Krakouer, Spencer, Adams and Martin to the West Perth squad that is coming off a memorable premiership victory.

"One of the things that we have been able to do over the last couple of years is build the depth of the players who can play league footy. A lot of that is developing our local kids and we reward players from our zone, but we've also been selective in knowing that there are gaps in our program and personnel," Monaghan said.

"We've been able to add selective recruits to that and we've done that again this year with Andrew coming in and on pure ability he will add to our group, but we've added a bit of size in Sev Martin, Marcus Adams and Matthew Spencer.

"We identified adding some size this year as a real need because Chris Keunen at 30-plus and Dan Hunt probably playing his last season, we are likely to lose another couple of talls over the next year or two. We think that the general balance of our squad is good in terms of local players, but we have found a need just to top up slightly with our talls."

Martin is a 23-year-old ruckman who stands 208cm tall and has played four league games at Subiaco over the past two years, and has dominated reserves games with his tap work.

He arrives as a replacement for Stockley and Monaghan hopes he will eventually take over from Keunen as West Perth's No. 1 ruckman once he is ready to retire.

"We wish Frank the best and he read the tea leaves and knew he was No. 2 behind Chris Keunen and we have a great deal of respect for the way Chris goes about it. Frank's preference was to stay but as a coach I can't guarantee anyone that they are going to get a game so he decided it would be best for his football future to seek opportunities elsewhere," Monaghan said.

"We don’t begrudge Frank for that but what it meant we needed another ruckman and we found Seva Martin outside Subi's 40 list and it was a good swap for us not only because we got a 208cm emerging ruckman to replace Frank, but for the fact that he was free. That was a real bonus for us and Sev has trained extremely well over the summer.

"I know Subi was disappointed to lose him after putting in plenty of time into his development, and he hasn’t reached his potential yet, but as we've said to him we think that at 23 years of age long-term he is going to be a really valuable player for us.

"As long as he is patient and keeps developing, that's all we can ask of him and his form in our pre-season matches and his work rate on the track has been outstanding. We are really excited to have Seva at the club."

Adams had a tremendous year in 2011 where he started in the colts at Swan Districts but ended up playing some impressive league football at the end of the year.

However, he has spent the last two years in the amateurs and now arrives at West Perth ready to make an impact in the forward-line as a strong, powerful presence.

"We expect Marcus to really push for a spot in our Round 1. He is a big body, we know he can play football and he had a really good colts season a few years back that saw him play a couple of league games for Swans," he said.

"He then lost the passion for a little while and was going to take up rugby, but ended up playing amateur footy and we think that with his size, strength and running ability he will be a hard-leading part of our forward-line. He is a contested ball type player and we think that we will push Nick Rodda back more this year, so bringing Marcus on board in the front half will be good for us.

"He still has some learning to do with our structures, but we are confident he will give us everything he's got and in tandem with Kody Manning when he comes back, there will be sides who won't want to be tackled by them. We also had to replace Josh Mellington and Jason Salecic from last year's forward-line so Marcus will help us do that."

Spencer also arrives at West Perth having previously played his WAFL football at Swan Districts, and having also not played in the league since the 2010 grand final win over Claremont.

However, having previously played AFL football with Geelong and with 45 WAFL games to his credit, the 29-year-old is someone Monaghan is more than happy to now have at his disposal.

"He has trained really hard despite a hiccup with a slight calf, but that's to be expected when he has stepped up his training on the last couple of years. But having been on an AFL list for a couple of years and being a premiership player at Swans, he understands the system and knows the work required," Monaghan said.

"He's under no illusions that he has come to a strong club who are the reigning premiers so it will be tough to get a game. Whilst we have added Matthew and a couple of other talls, that doesn’t mean that they are walk up starts.

"What he does do is he probably fills that void of losing Michael Pettigrew and whilst Petters has got genuine leg speed over Matthew, what they are very similar in is their body size, strength, competitiveness and experience.

"We think that is a perfect replacement for Michael who generally played on the bigger bodied forwards like a Josh Smith. Nick Rodda and Shaun Marusic have good size but are still young, so we needed someone with a bit more experience along with Dan Hunt to slog it out with the gorillas and Matthew will provide that."

There was no need for the Falcons to look to make many changes following the 2013 premiership victory with only captain Jason Salecic retiring, Fremantle's Mellington being delisted and Mark Hutchings being forced to play with East Perth while listed by West Coast.

Those are the only three players not at the club in 2014 who played in the premiership and then Frank Stockley wanted the chance to be a No. 1 ruckman so left for Subiaco after winning the WAFL's best reserves player award in 2013.

That meant that Monaghan was very specific on what he wanted to recruit coming into 2014.

When it became clear there was a chance to sign Andrew Krakouer that was an added bonus, but the Falcons focused on an emerging ruckman to fill in for the loss of Stockley and to back up Chris Keunen, and that's where Martin fits in from Subiaco.

The retirement of Pettigrew meant that there was room for another experienced defender to help out Dan Hunt and the emerging Nick Rodda and Shaun Marusic, and that's where former Geelong defender and Swan Districts premiership player Spencer came into it.

And there was also room for a bullocking forward to provide a target to work alongside of Anthony Tsalikis, Matt Fowler, Matt Johnson, Kody Manning and then at times tall targets like Rodda and Shayne Zanetti – which is where former Swan Districts 20-year-old Adams came into it.

Monaghan is happy to be coming into 2014 with the addition of Krakouer, Spencer, Adams and Martin to the West Perth squad that is coming off a memorable premiership victory.

"One of the things that we have been able to do over the last couple of years is build the depth of the players who can play league footy. A lot of that is developing our local kids and we reward players from our zone, but we've also been selective in knowing that there are gaps in our program and personnel," Monaghan said.

"We've been able to add selective recruits to that and we've done that again this year with Andrew coming in and on pure ability he will add to our group, but we've added a bit of size in Sev Martin, Marcus Adams and Matthew Spencer.

"We identified adding some size this year as a real need because Chris Keunen at 30-plus and Dan Hunt probably playing his last season, we are likely to lose another couple of talls over the next year or two. We think that the general balance of our squad is good in terms of local players, but we have found a need just to top up slightly with our talls."

Martin is a 23-year-old ruckman who stands 208cm tall and has played four league games at Subiaco over the past two years, and has dominated reserves games with his tap work.

He arrives as a replacement for Stockley and Monaghan hopes he will eventually take over from Keunen as West Perth's No. 1 ruckman once he is ready to retire.

"We wish Frank the best and he read the tea leaves and knew he was No. 2 behind Chris Keunen and we have a great deal of respect for the way Chris goes about it. Frank's preference was to stay but as a coach I can't guarantee anyone that they are going to get a game so he decided it would be best for his football future to seek opportunities elsewhere," Monaghan said.

"We don’t begrudge Frank for that but what it meant we needed another ruckman and we found Seva Martin outside Subi's 40 list and it was a good swap for us not only because we got a 208cm emerging ruckman to replace Frank, but for the fact that he was free. That was a real bonus for us and Sev has trained extremely well over the summer.

"I know Subi was disappointed to lose him after putting in plenty of time into his development, and he hasn’t reached his potential yet, but as we've said to him we think that at 23 years of age long-term he is going to be a really valuable player for us.

"As long as he is patient and keeps developing, that's all we can ask of him and his form in our pre-season matches and his work rate on the track has been outstanding. We are really excited to have Seva at the club."

Adams had a tremendous year in 2011 where he started in the colts at Swan Districts but ended up playing some impressive league football at the end of the year.

However, he has spent the last two years in the amateurs and now arrives at West Perth ready to make an impact in the forward-line as a strong, powerful presence.

"We expect Marcus to really push for a spot in our Round 1. He is a big body, we know he can play football and he had a really good colts season a few years back that saw him play a couple of league games for Swans," he said.

"He then lost the passion for a little while and was going to take up rugby, but ended up playing amateur footy and we think that with his size, strength and running ability he will be a hard-leading part of our forward-line. He is a contested ball type player and we think that we will push Nick Rodda back more this year, so bringing Marcus on board in the front half will be good for us.

"He still has some learning to do with our structures, but we are confident he will give us everything he's got and in tandem with Kody Manning when he comes back, there will be sides who won't want to be tackled by them. We also had to replace Josh Mellington and Jason Salecic from last year's forward-line so Marcus will help us do that."

Spencer also arrives at West Perth having previously played his WAFL football at Swan Districts, and having also not played in the league since the 2010 grand final win over Claremont.

However, having previously played AFL football with Geelong and with 45 WAFL games to his credit, the 29-year-old is someone Monaghan is more than happy to now have at his disposal.

"He has trained really hard despite a hiccup with a slight calf, but that's to be expected when he has stepped up his training on the last couple of years. But having been on an AFL list for a couple of years and being a premiership player at Swans, he understands the system and knows the work required," Monaghan said.

"He's under no illusions that he has come to a strong club who are the reigning premiers so it will be tough to get a game. Whilst we have added Matthew and a couple of other talls, that doesn’t mean that they are walk up starts.

"What he does do is he probably fills that void of losing Michael Pettigrew and whilst Petters has got genuine leg speed over Matthew, what they are very similar in is their body size, strength, competitiveness and experience.

"We think that is a perfect replacement for Michael who generally played on the bigger bodied forwards like a Josh Smith. Nick Rodda and Shaun Marusic have good size but are still young, so we needed someone with a bit more experience along with Dan Hunt to slog it out with the gorillas and Matthew will provide that."

WEST Perth premiership coach Bill Monaghan will be conducting a weekly question and answer segment each week during the 2014 WAFL season for the club's website. Here is edition No. 2 ahead of Round 1 this Saturday against East Fremantle at East Fremantle Oval.

QUESTION: You have been able to turn your full attention to East Fremantle, what do you make of how they are looking?

ANSWER: Whilst along with Claremont they have probably been hit the hardest in losing their AFL-listed players, they have McNamara and Dalziell back full-time with them, and they have a good group of experienced players Dodd, Rory O'Brien, Mark McGough and Rob Young is back fit, Lester-Smith is back from a long lay-off and they have added some size from other clubs with Bristow and Chartres on board. Having spoken to their coaching staff over the summer on a number of occasions, they are really excited about being able to have control over their whole group again which hasn’t always been the case down at East Fremantle. They regularly could have four or five selections up in the air on a Friday afternoon.

I just think that by having control of all their players will see them improve this year but whether or not they have lost a fair of talent and whether they are as strong as last year, that's for someone else to answer not me. All I know is that they will be fired up and ready to go on Saturday, and we will need to be at our best down at East Fremantle Oval to beat them.

Q: You played well at East Fremantle Oval twice last year?

A: We have had plenty of time to reflect on what we did last year and there were two terrific victories down there in what were completely different games. One was a high-scoring shoot out and the other was a defensive slug fest. It is always hard to go down to East Fremantle Oval but to borrow a Ross Lyonism, we are prepared to play anyone anywhere, and we think about our preparation and what we need to do to stick to our structures. We are confident that going to East Fremantle isn’t going to be an issue.

However, the time for reflecting and thinking about what we did last year is well gone. All we can control now is what comes ahead of us and that has been the focus all pre-season. The players have been really good with that and now we are bedding down to get ready for Round 1.

We probably had our side selected last week in our match committee meeting and this week we will look to iron out a few structural things to get ready for Saturday's game.

Q: How would you sum up the shape up the competition coming into 2014?

A: It is really hard in the WAFL to judge how sides are going to go until Round 1 actually starts. There is a lot of player movement and there are always kids popping up from the country or amateurs who can play, and an influx of players from interstate like James Sellar and Lachlan Delahunty who you aren’t really sure how they will cope with WAFL football.

The disappointing part for me probably is that because of the East Perth and Peel alignments with West Coast and Fremantle is that the WAFL as a whole has lost six, eight or maybe 10 players to the competition who still should be playing WAFL footy and who were great assets to the competition. I'm talking about guys like Marlon Motlop, Paul Bower, Aaron Sweet, Devin McFarlane, Mathew Seal and Brad Holmes.

You might be able to make a little bit of an argument that the whole competition might come back a peg, but clubs are resourceful, the sides are well coached and the commitment of the players can never be questioned. I expect it to be a tough and hard fought season, and I doubt you will see a side go through the season winning 17 or 18 games. I think the competition will be a lot more compressed this year with the great unknown being how will East Perth and Peel go. We are the 2013 premiers and only won 13 games in the regular season, but we will just take it week by week and whatever ends up happening, the WAFL is a great competition.

It is great for families, will still be a good product and I'm expecting it to be an exciting year. There will be continued debate about the alignment, but it's done and signed off on now and the focus has to be just on playing our best footy against East Perth just like we do against an East Fremantle or Claremont.

WITH CHRIS PIKEWEST Perth premiership coach Bill Monaghan will be conducting a weekly question and answer segment each week during the 2014 WAFL season for the club's website. Here is edition No. 2 ahead of Round 1 this Saturday against East Fremantle at East Fremantle Oval.

QUESTION: You have been able to turn your full attention to East Fremantle, what do you make of how they are looking?

ANSWER: Whilst along with Claremont they have probably been hit the hardest in losing their AFL-listed players, they have McNamara and Dalziell back full-time with them, and they have a good group of experienced players Dodd, Rory O'Brien, Mark McGough and Rob Young is back fit, Lester-Smith is back from a long lay-off and they have added some size from other clubs with Bristow and Chartres on board. Having spoken to their coaching staff over the summer on a number of occasions, they are really excited about being able to have control over their whole group again which hasn’t always been the case down at East Fremantle. They regularly could have four or five selections up in the air on a Friday afternoon.

I just think that by having control of all their players will see them improve this year but whether or not they have lost a fair of talent and whether they are as strong as last year, that's for someone else to answer not me. All I know is that they will be fired up and ready to go on Saturday, and we will need to be at our best down at East Fremantle Oval to beat them.

Q: You played well at East Fremantle Oval twice last year?

A: We have had plenty of time to reflect on what we did last year and there were two terrific victories down there in what were completely different games. One was a high-scoring shoot out and the other was a defensive slug fest. It is always hard to go down to East Fremantle Oval but to borrow a Ross Lyonism, we are prepared to play anyone anywhere, and we think about our preparation and what we need to do to stick to our structures. We are confident that going to East Fremantle isn’t going to be an issue.

However, the time for reflecting and thinking about what we did last year is well gone. All we can control now is what comes ahead of us and that has been the focus all pre-season. The players have been really good with that and now we are bedding down to get ready for Round 1.

We probably had our side selected last week in our match committee meeting and this week we will look to iron out a few structural things to get ready for Saturday's game.

Q:How would you sum up the shape up the competition coming into 2014?

A: It is really hard in the WAFL to judge how sides are going to go until Round 1 actually starts. There is a lot of player movement and there are always kids popping up from the country or amateurs who can play, and an influx of players from interstate like James Sellar and Lachlan Delahunty who you aren’t really sure how they will cope with WAFL football.

The disappointing part for me probably is that because of the East Perth and Peel alignments with West Coast and Fremantle is that the WAFL as a whole has lost six, eight or maybe 10 players to the competition who still should be playing WAFL footy and who were great assets to the competition. I'm talking about guys like Marlon Motlop, Paul Bower, Aaron Sweet, Devin McFarlane, Mathew Seal and Brad Holmes.

You might be able to make a little bit of an argument that the whole competition might come back a peg, but clubs are resourceful, the sides are well coached and the commitment of the players can never be questioned. I expect it to be a tough and hard fought season, and I doubt you will see a side go through the season winning 17 or 18 games. I think the competition will be a lot more compressed this year with the great unknown being how will East Perth and Peel go. We are the 2013 premiers and only won 13 games in the regular season, but we will just take it week by week and whatever ends up happening, the WAFL is a great competition.

It is great for families, will still be a good product and I'm expecting it to be an exciting year. There will be continued debate about the alignment, but it's done and signed off on now and the focus has to be just on playing our best footy against East Perth just like we do against an East Fremantle or Claremont.

HERE is a complete look at the entire West Perth Football Club senior squad for the 2014 WAFL season.

1. AARON BLACK – The 21-year-old had an incredible 2013 that saw him play State football, star in the Falcons premiership victory and finish up coming third in the Breckler Medal. He has already notched 63 matches and despite the wingman averaging over 25 possessions a game last year, he has the tools to improve even further in 2014.

2. BRAYDEN ANTONIO – After impressing in his debut two league appearances in 2012, it took the 19-year-old until Round 13 to break back into the league side in 2013 but when he did he quickly settled back in. Ended up playing six more games in 2013 and then also led the reserves finishing with 14 matches averaging over 17 possessions a game.

3. ANDREW STRIJK – Returned to his favourite role across half-back in 2013 and was a vital member of the premiership team in a season that saw him finish up sharing the Breckler Medal. The 26-year-old former Eagle has now played 133 games with the Falcons and is set to earn life membership during 2014.

4. ROHAN KERR – Arrived from Carlton at the start of 2013 and made an immediate impact both on the field and by not being afraid express himself around the club. Kicked 24 goals for the year including six in Round 5 and then five in a stunning grand final display, but he proved himself as a hard-running ball-winner further up the field as well. Could be even better in his second season with the Falcons in 2014.

5. JORDAN JONES – After a year of finding his feet at the Falcons in 2012, the former Eagle became a star at West Perth in 2013 becoming a key member of the defensive unit. Able to play on talls and smalls, and play both defensive and attacking roles, he was a huge part of the premiership team and will look to step up in whatever role asked of him now in 2014.

6. MARC CRISP – After only managing 31 matches in the previous four seasons, 'Chippa' found a new role in the forward-line in 2013 and made the most of it kicking 34 goals for the year including four in the second semi-final win over Claremont, and two in the grand final over East Perth. The 26-year-old 52-game veteran is a leader at the club came fourth in the Breckler Medal and is set for another standout 2014.

7. STEVEN BROWNE – The former Carlton defender has now entering his fourth season back with West Perth and coming off an outstanding 2013 campaign. Playing as a key member of the back-line, the tough as nails 25-year-old not only was courageous and strong defensively, but averaged 20 possessions a game to be a star in the premiership side.

8. Andrew Krakouer – It is confirmed that he will be playing with West Perth in 2014 and what a pick up he is sure to be for the club both on and off the field. With 137 games of AFL experience at Richmond and Collingwood behind him, plus his most recent WAFL form being the 2010 season that saw him lead his team to a premiership and win the Sandover and Simpson Medals, his resume speaks for itself.

9. TRENT MANZONE – The Queensland recruit had no trouble adjusting to WAFL football in 2013 with West Perth playing 17 league matches and averaging 15 possessions in roles mostly in defence. He just missed selection in the grand final team, but to his credit performed well in the reserves grand final and now will be looking to cement a league spot even further in 2014.

10. MATT GUADAGNIN – The star veteran midfielder was rewarded for his hard work, loyalty and dedication to West Perth by becoming a premiership player in 2013 but there are no signs of the 30-year-old slowing down. He had an outstanding 2013 season averaging over 20 possessions a game including 24 in the grand final to cap off a year that saw the 162-game tough nut end the season runner-up in the Breckler Medal.

11. ANTHONY TSALIKIS – The 30-year-old will be as motivated as ever for a big 2014 after devastatingly missing last year's premiership with a shoulder injury suffered in Round 22. However, before that he was just about in career-best form averaging over 15 possessions a game and kicking 32 goals. He has now played 169 matches and kicked 306 goals over his career.

12. DAN HUNT – His 150th game last year culminated in the first finals victory of his career against Claremont in the second semi-final and then the veteran defender celebrated the premiership win in his 151st game. Was as solid as ever as a tall defender in 2013 and there's no reason to suggest he won't be just as good in 2014 in what could be the last year of his decorated career.

13. LUKE MEADOWS – Is one of the rare examples in recent times of a player to represent the colts, reserves and league teams all in the one seasons when he did that in 2013. Played eight colts matches, 14 in the reserves and then made his league debut in Round 22 against East Fremantle where he impressed with 12 possessions. Ready to step up further in 2014.

14. SHANE NELSON – Took the next step to being one of the very best midfielders in the competition in 2013 averaging 27 possessions a game including 36 and a goal in a scintillating grand final display. The 20-year-old was also joint winner of the Breckler Medal in 2013 and will again be a key member of the Falcons on-ball brigade in 2014.

15. SHAYNE ZANETTI – The developing big man had his 2013 ended before it even started due to injury, but he has now fully recovered and raring to go in 2014 and add another versatile big man presence to the Falcons line-up. Has impressed in 301 league games already with West Perth kicking 33 goals so whether as a forward or back-up ruckman, the 23-year-old has plenty to offer.

16. MATT JOHNSON – The dynamic and powerful left-footer made a stunning league debut in Round 1 last year booting six goals against East Perth. A hamstring injury interrupted his season but he did make it back for the reserves grand final and now the 19-year-old looks ready to take the WAFL by storm in 2014.

17. MATT FOWLER – The Queensland recruit came into his own in the league side in the second half of the 2013 season on the back of kicking 19 goals in a string of four reserves games. The natural full-forward then never looked back when breaking into the league side in Round 13, kicked 30 goals for the season and became a premiership player with two goals in the grand final.

18. JAY VAN BERLO – The former Breckler Medal winner was back full-time to West Perth after his time with Fremantle and had an outstanding 2013 which included him represented WA in the win over Victoria, starring in the premiership win and playing a variety of roles largely through the middle. Has now been appointed co-captain for the 2014 season after the retirement of Jason Salecic.

19. CHRIS KEUNEN – Has now been cemented as the Falcons' No. 1 ruckman for several seasons and had an outstanding 2013 where he often had to carry the ruck duties virtually alone usually against two opponents. Averaged 30 hit outs a game, won plenty of the ball around the ground and has now played 130 games with West Perth to be a chance of earning life membership in 2014.

20. SHAUN MARUSIC – It took the first-year recruit from Frankston in the VFL until Round 12 to make his league debut last year, but when he did he remained in the side right up to including the grand final victory. The 21-year-old started in the team as a forward, but moved back and as a key defender became a key part to the premiership win.

21. LAINE RASMUSSEN – He was earmarked as the replacement for Dustin Burns in the small defensive role and despite injury limiting him to 12 games in 2013, he showed that he is up for that challenge. The 20-year-old was outstanding up until getting injured in Round 8 and then got hurt again in Round 15, but he was able to fight his way back into the league team for the finals and was a strong contributor in the premiership victory.

22. KRIS SHANNON – The 21-year-old played two Foxtel Cup matches in 2012, broke through for three league matches in 2013 and in between played 19 games with the reserves side and was impressive averaging 17 possessions a game. Another player looking forward to more opportunities in 2014.

23. LUKE TEDESCO – The 'Raging Bull' had a 2013 season that saw him celebrate his 100-game milestone but then suffer a potentially season-ending injury. However, he made it back in time for the grand final and is now a premiership player. Is as tough and courageous as anyone in the team with outstanding foot skills, and is now a co-captain of the club in 2014 as well.

24. MARCUS ADAMS – The hard-leading, strong bodied forward showed good signs at Swan Districts in 2011 playing colts, reserves and league football but has only played two reserves matches since. He now lobs at West Perth ready and capable of cementing a regular spot in the forward-line.

25. RAY BARTHOLOMEW – Played his 150th match with the Falcons in 2013 to become a life member of the club but then suffered a serious calf injury that he had to fight back from. He did that and was able to play in the premiership team, and now the 153-game 28-year-old veteran is ready to tear down the wings again in 2014, and celebrate goals like only he can.

26. JOE MORROW – The 24-year-old is one of the most popular and dedicated players at West Perth but has had terrible luck with injuries. Will be hoping for a good run with his body in 2014 and if he gets it, could be a regular league player. Mostly as a defender, has played 22 league games since his debut in 2009 including two last year. However, in the reserves he was a strong leader and outstanding defender in the team that got to the grand final.

27. STEVE POTENTE – Arrived from Swan Districts having played just 24 games since 2009 because of injury troubles, but once he got into the West Perth league side in Round 11 he immediately fitted in well playing as a run-with midfielder. He then played more attacking roles as the year went on and finished up as a premiership player, and a key member of that side.

28. MATTHEW SPENCER – Comes to West Perth having not played WAFL football since 2010 but his last game was the grand final victory for Swan Districts over Claremont of that year. Also previously played two AFL matches with Geelong so the 29-year-old has plenty backing him up, is an imposing big-bodied defender and could be the ideal replacement for Michael Pettigrew.

29. JAMES BATTERHAM – The 20-year-old added two more league appearances in 2013 after making his debut in 2012, and continues to develop into a player of the future with good pace and foot skills. Also had a strong season in the reserves playing 19 games and averaging 14 possessions.

30. SEVA MARTIN – The 23-year-old huge 208cm ruckman arrives at West Perth at Subiaco and will be sure to make sure Chris Keunen keeps his form up, or is more than capable of backing him up. Has played four league matches at Subiaco where he averaged 29 hit outs, and in 11 reserves matches last year he had over 30 ruck taps a game.

31. JACK THRUM – Was close to playing league football in 2013 and is a good chance of breaking through at some stage in 2014. The 20-year-old from Ocean Ridge had a strong reserves season in 2013 playing 21 games, laying 74 tackles and averaging 17 possessions.

32. CAMERON BRANCH – The 26-year-old captained the Falcons into the reserves grand final last year and continues to be one of the most passionate and loyal players at the club. Hasn't played a league game since his five appearances in 2011, but if he stays healthy should push for a spot again and is coming off a strong 2013 campaign where he averaged 14 disposals and kicked 12 goals.

33. COREY CHALMERS – Having played both State 16s and State 18s, the man affectionately known has 'Snake' has always been earmarked as an exciting talent and he continues to show why. After five reserves games as a colt in 2012, he played 16 with the reserves last year and impressed kicking 24 goals and averaging over 16 possessions a game. Will only continue to improve.

34. MAX ALEXANDER – After arriving midway through 2012 from Stirling in the Amateurs, he took the next step with his football in 2013 and became an important member of the reserves side while playing a variety of roles. Has good size, can play at either end of the ground and the 22-year-old should only keep getting better after 20 games last year and a strong finals campaign.

35. JORDAN MILLS – The 23-year-old from Kingsley has now amassed 51 reserves matches over the past three seasons and is ready to make a play for a league opportunity. The hard-running defender who is also of good size and can play in a key position, had a strong 2013 season playing all 23 matches including an impressive finals campaign.

36. TAMATI YOUNG – An exciting prospect who arrives at the club from New Zealand. The 22-year-old could surprise plenty with impressive performances early in the season.

37. BEN KING – Arrives from Gin Gin for the 2014 season and has had a strong pre-season, and is sure to quickly become a fan favourite for the loyal West Perth supporters.

38. JAMES EMBLEY – The recruit from Swan Districts and younger brother of Andrew didn’t quite breakthrough for a league appearance at West Perth in 2013, but did have a strong season in the reserves playing 20 games, laying 69 tackles and averaging over 17 possessions a game. The 24-year-old will continue to push for that league debut with the Falcons.

39. BEN O'REGAN – After just two reserves appearances in 2012, the 21-year-old from Marist Junior Football Club had a strong 2013 campaign as a key member of the team that made it all the way to the grand final. Hard working and strong tackling, expect him to take another step in 2014 and possibly even push for league selection.

40. AIDAN LYNCH – Even though the 19-year-old was still eligible to play colts in 2013, he spent the whole season with the reserves playing all 23 matches and was close to a league debut on several occasions. Had a superb season in the team that made the grand final averaging over 15 touches a game.

41. MITCH VAN BERLO – The youngest brother of club captain Jay and Adelaide Crows skipper Nathan continues to develop nicely as a hard-running, versatile player who can play any number of roles. Played 18 colts games in 2011, 13 in the reserves in 2012 and then all 23 in the reserves last year including the finals. Expect him to push for a league spot in 2014.

42. DREW ROHDE – Played all 23 matches with the reserves in 2013 and was tremendous in the team that made the grand final kicking 34 goals. At only 20 years of age, is a player who is capable of pushing up for a league spot before long.

43. MITCH MCPHEE – Bounced back from an injury-interrupted 2012 season to play a full year with the reserves in 2013 and on several occasions he was pushing for a league spot. Is clever, knows where the goals are and can also be effective up the field. Kicked 30 goals in his 21 games in 2013 but has plenty of upside still.

44. NICK RODDA – The 19-year-old big man spent much of 2013 up forward as the main tall target for the Falcons and ended up kicking 17 goals including two in the grand final win over East Perth. Is capable of playing as a key forward and key defender, and with stints in the ruck and as he continues to improve in all areas he looks set to have an even greater impact in 2014.

45. TIM SUTHERLAND – Continues to emerge as a player of the future. The 19-year-old played State 18s in 2012 and while still eligible to play colts last year, came into the reserves team late in the year and showed some good signs. Has a strong leap, always makes a contest and is set to get used to senior football in 2014.

46. DAVID SORGIOVANNI – Is a mature aged recruit coming from Hamersley Carine AFC. David hasn’t missed a beat since arriving and will provide further experience, size and strength to the list. After undergoing his first preseason at the club David will be striving hard to provide an impact and presence on the field.

47. KODY MANNING – Don't be put off by the fact that he is suspended for the first couple of games of the season. Once he comes back, he will be desperate to make his mark and he is coming off a superb 2013 in a new role in the forward-line. He played in the forward half to put pressure on, and he's fierce approach and tackling frightened many an opposition player so look out for when he is ready to play in 2014.

48. BEN MCNAMARA – The 19-year-old from Mukinbudin broke through for his league debut in 2013 where he kicked a goal and didn’t look out of place against East Fremantle in Round 22. Had a terrific year in the reserves as well averaging 15 possessions a game.

49. STEPHEN HEALY – The 20-year-old has now developed impressively in two full seasons in the Falcons reserves after coming through the colts ranks and will be looking to force his way into the league side in 2014. Had an injury-interrupted first half of 2013 but settled into his work nicely in the second half of the year and was part of the reserves finals campaign.

50. JACOB REGAN – Stepped up from the colts to play five reserves matches in 2013 and is ready to step up again in 2014. Is a good size and has the body to play key position, but also runs hard and straight at the ball.

51. SAM MONEY – Got his first taste of senior football in 2013 playing eight reserves matches including the first semi-final win over East Perth and the 20-year-old has had a strong pre-season to enable him to go to another level in 2014.

52. BRODERICK WALTON – Stepped up from the colts to play 11 reserves matches in 2013 and will be looking to earn a permanent spot now in 2014. The 19-year-old trains hard, prepares well and is super competitive – so gives himself every chance to get the best out of himself.

53. DANIEL ACRES – The 19-year-old graduated to play three reserves matches late last season despite still being part of the colts squad and is developing impressively. Is a player to watch with his good pace and willingness to compete.

54. DEAN MUNNS – The 18-year-old is another player looking to make the step up from colts football in 2013 to senior football in 2014. Last year, he played 16 colts matches and showed some good signs as a hard-working midfielder who isn’t afraid to go in for the hard ball and lay a strong tackle.

55. KYLE EGAN – The 18-year-old from Sorrento Duncraig is stepping up from the colts in 2014 and it wouldn’t surprise to see him challenge for a league position before long. In 2013, he played 19 colts matches and averaged over 11 disposals a game.

56. JESSE KIRWEN – The 18-year-old was impressive in his 20 colts matches in 2013 where he averaged 17 possessions a game and now is looking forward to his first taste of senior football in 2014.

57. BLAKE WILHELM – The former SBL basketball player came to West Perth in 2013 looking for a new challenge, and with his natural athletic gifts of good speed and strong vertical leap he showed good signs in his eight reserves matches, and will be looking to add to that in 2014.

58. MARTIN GERAGHTY – The 20-year-old graduated from the colts to play 12 reserves matches in 2013 where he showed some encouraging signs and he will be looking to make the most of his opportunities in 2014.

61. PETER HARVEY – Moved from Subiaco to West Perth in 2012 and impressed in his eight matches in the Falcons colts team last year, and looks ready to make the step up to senior football now in 2014.

1. AARON BLACK – The 21-year-old had an incredible 2013 that saw him play State football, star in the Falcons premiership victory and finish up coming third in the Breckler Medal. He has already notched 63 matches and despite the wingman averaging over 25 possessions a game last year, he has the tools to improve even further in 2014.

2. BRAYDEN ANTONIO – After impressing in his debut two league appearances in 2012, it took the 19-year-old until Round 13 to break back into the league side in 2013 but when he did he quickly settled back in. Ended up playing six more games in 2013 and then also led the reserves finishing with 14 matches averaging over 17 possessions a game.

3. ANDREW STRIJK – Returned to his favourite role across half-back in 2013 and was a vital member of the premiership team in a season that saw him finish up sharing the Breckler Medal. The 26-year-old former Eagle has now played 133 games with the Falcons and is set to earn life membership during 2014.

4. ROHAN KERR – Arrived from Carlton at the start of 2013 and made an immediate impact both on the field and by not being afraid express himself around the club. Kicked 24 goals for the year including six in Round 5 and then five in a stunning grand final display, but he proved himself as a hard-running ball-winner further up the field as well. Could be even better in his second season with the Falcons in 2014.

5. JORDAN JONES – After a year of finding his feet at the Falcons in 2012, the former Eagle became a star at West Perth in 2013 becoming a key member of the defensive unit. Able to play on talls and smalls, and play both defensive and attacking roles, he was a huge part of the premiership team and will look to step up in whatever role asked of him now in 2014.

6. MARC CRISP – After only managing 31 matches in the previous four seasons, 'Chippa' found a new role in the forward-line in 2013 and made the most of it kicking 34 goals for the year including four in the second semi-final win over Claremont, and two in the grand final over East Perth. The 26-year-old 52-game veteran is a leader at the club came fourth in the Breckler Medal and is set for another standout 2014.

7. STEVEN BROWNE – The former Carlton defender has now entering his fourth season back with West Perth and coming off an outstanding 2013 campaign. Playing as a key member of the back-line, the tough as nails 25-year-old not only was courageous and strong defensively, but averaged 20 possessions a game to be a star in the premiership side.

8. ANDREW KRAKOUER – It is confirmed that he will be playing with West Perth in 2014 and what a pick up he is sure to be for the club both on and off the field. With 137 games of AFL experience at Richmond and Collingwood behind him, plus his most recent WAFL form being the 2010 season that saw him lead his team to a premiership and win the Sandover and Simpson Medals, his resume speaks for itself.

9. TRENT MANZONE – The Queensland recruit had no trouble adjusting to WAFL football in 2013 with West Perth playing 17 league matches and averaging 15 possessions in roles mostly in defence. He just missed selection in the grand final team, but to his credit performed well in the reserves grand final and now will be looking to cement a league spot even further in 2014.

10. MATT GUADAGNIN – The star veteran midfielder was rewarded for his hard work, loyalty and dedication to West Perth by becoming a premiership player in 2013 but there are no signs of the 30-year-old slowing down. He had an outstanding 2013 season averaging over 20 possessions a game including 24 in the grand final to cap off a year that saw the 162-game tough nut end the season runner-up in the Breckler Medal.

11. ANTHONY TSALIKIS – The 30-year-old will be as motivated as ever for a big 2014 after devastatingly missing last year's premiership with a shoulder injury suffered in Round 22. However, before that he was just about in career-best form averaging over 15 possessions a game and kicking 32 goals. He has now played 169 matches and kicked 306 goals over his career.

12. DAN HUNT – His 150th game last year culminated in the first finals victory of his career against Claremont in the second semi-final and then the veteran defender celebrated the premiership win in his 151st game. Was as solid as ever as a tall defender in 2013 and there's no reason to suggest he won't be just as good in 2014 in what could be the last year of his decorated career.

13. LUKE MEADOWS – Is one of the rare examples in recent times of a player to represent the colts, reserves and league teams all in the one seasons when he did that in 2013. Played eight colts matches, 14 in the reserves and then made his league debut in Round 22 against East Fremantle where he impressed with 12 possessions. Ready to step up further in 2014.

14. SHANE NELSON – Took the next step to being one of the very best midfielders in the competition in 2013 averaging 27 possessions a game including 36 and a goal in a scintillating grand final display. The 20-year-old was also joint winner of the Breckler Medal in 2013 and will again be a key member of the Falcons on-ball brigade in 2014.

15. SHAYNE ZANETTI – The developing big man had his 2013 ended before it even started due to injury, but he has now fully recovered and raring to go in 2014 and add another versatile big man presence to the Falcons line-up. Has impressed in 301 league games already with West Perth kicking 33 goals so whether as a forward or back-up ruckman, the 23-year-old has plenty to offer.

16. MATT JOHNSON – The dynamic and powerful left-footer made a stunning league debut in Round 1 last year booting six goals against East Perth. A hamstring injury interrupted his season but he did make it back for the reserves grand final and now the 19-year-old looks ready to take the WAFL by storm in 2014.

17. MATT FOWLER – The Queensland recruit came into his own in the league side in the second half of the 2013 season on the back of kicking 19 goals in a string of four reserves games. The natural full-forward then never looked back when breaking into the league side in Round 13, kicked 30 goals for the season and became a premiership player with two goals in the grand final.

18. JAY VAN BERLO – The former Breckler Medal winner was back full-time to West Perth after his time with Fremantle and had an outstanding 2013 which included him represented WA in the win over Victoria, starring in the premiership win and playing a variety of roles largely through the middle. Has now been appointed co-captain for the 2014 season after the retirement of Jason Salecic.

19. CHRIS KEUNEN – Has now been cemented as the Falcons' No. 1 ruckman for several seasons and had an outstanding 2013 where he often had to carry the ruck duties virtually alone usually against two opponents. Averaged 30 hit outs a game, won plenty of the ball around the ground and has now played 130 games with West Perth to be a chance of earning life membership in 2014.

20. SHAUN MARUSIC – It took the first-year recruit from Frankston in the VFL until Round 12 to make his league debut last year, but when he did he remained in the side right up to including the grand final victory. The 21-year-old started in the team as a forward, but moved back and as a key defender became a key part to the premiership win.

21. LAINE RASMUSSEN – He was earmarked as the replacement for Dustin Burns in the small defensive role and despite injury limiting him to 12 games in 2013, he showed that he is up for that challenge. The 20-year-old was outstanding up until getting injured in Round 8 and then got hurt again in Round 15, but he was able to fight his way back into the league team for the finals and was a strong contributor in the premiership victory.

22. KRIS SHANNON – The 21-year-old played two Foxtel Cup matches in 2012, broke through for three league matches in 2013 and in between played 19 games with the reserves side and was impressive averaging 17 possessions a game. Another player looking forward to more opportunities in 2014.

23. LUKE TEDESCO – The 'Raging Bull' had a 2013 season that saw him celebrate his 100-game milestone but then suffer a potentially season-ending injury. However, he made it back in time for the grand final and is now a premiership player. Is as tough and courageous as anyone in the team with outstanding foot skills, and is now a co-captain of the club in 2014 as well.

24. MARCUS ADAMS – The hard-leading, strong bodied forward showed good signs at Swan Districts in 2011 playing colts, reserves and league football but has only played two reserves matches since. He now lobs at West Perth ready and capable of cementing a regular spot in the forward-line.

25. RAY BARTHOLOMEW – Played his 150th match with the Falcons in 2013 to become a life member of the club but then suffered a serious calf injury that he had to fight back from. He did that and was able to play in the premiership team, and now the 153-game 28-year-old veteran is ready to tear down the wings again in 2014, and celebrate goals like only he can.

26. JOE MORROW – The 24-year-old is one of the most popular and dedicated players at West Perth but has had terrible luck with injuries. Will be hoping for a good run with his body in 2014 and if he gets it, could be a regular league player. Mostly as a defender, has played 22 league games since his debut in 2009 including two last year. However, in the reserves he was a strong leader and outstanding defender in the team that got to the grand final.

27. STEVE POTENTE – Arrived from Swan Districts having played just 24 games since 2009 because of injury troubles, but once he got into the West Perth league side in Round 11 he immediately fitted in well playing as a run-with midfielder. He then played more attacking roles as the year went on and finished up as a premiership player, and a key member of that side.

28. MATTHEW SPENCER – Comes to West Perth having not played WAFL football since 2010 but his last game was the grand final victory for Swan Districts over Claremont of that year. Also previously played two AFL matches with Geelong so the 29-year-old has plenty backing him up, is an imposing big-bodied defender and could be the ideal replacement for Michael Pettigrew.

29. JAMES BATTERHAM – The 20-year-old added two more league appearances in 2013 after making his debut in 2012, and continues to develop into a player of the future with good pace and foot skills. Also had a strong season in the reserves playing 19 games and averaging 14 possessions.

30. SEVA MARTIN – The 23-year-old huge 208cm ruckman arrives at West Perth at Subiaco and will be sure to make sure Chris Keunen keeps his form up, or is more than capable of backing him up. Has played four league matches at Subiaco where he averaged 29 hit outs, and in 11 reserves matches last year he had over 30 ruck taps a game.

31. JACK THRUM – Was close to playing league football in 2013 and is a good chance of breaking through at some stage in 2014. The 20-year-old from Ocean Ridge had a strong reserves season in 2013 playing 21 games, laying 74 tackles and averaging 17 possessions.

32. CAMERON BRANCH – The 26-year-old captained the Falcons into the reserves grand final last year and continues to be one of the most passionate and loyal players at the club. Hasn't played a league game since his five appearances in 2011, but if he stays healthy should push for a spot again and is coming off a strong 2013 campaign where he averaged 14 disposals and kicked 12 goals.

33. COREY CHALMERS – Having played both State 16s and State 18s, the man affectionately known has 'Snake' has always been earmarked as an exciting talent and he continues to show why. After five reserves games as a colt in 2012, he played 16 with the reserves last year and impressed kicking 24 goals and averaging over 16 possessions a game. Will only continue to improve.

34. MAX ALEXANDER – After arriving midway through 2012 from Stirling in the Amateurs, he took the next step with his football in 2013 and became an important member of the reserves side while playing a variety of roles. Has good size, can play at either end of the ground and the 22-year-old should only keep getting better after 20 games last year and a strong finals campaign.

35. JORDAN MILLS – The 23-year-old from Kingsley has now amassed 51 reserves matches over the past three seasons and is ready to make a play for a league opportunity. The hard-running defender who is also of good size and can play in a key position, had a strong 2013 season playing all 23 matches including an impressive finals campaign.

36. TAMATI YOUNG – An exciting prospect who arrives at the club from New Zealand. The 22-year-old could surprise plenty with impressive performances early in the season.

37. BEN KING – Arrives from Gin Gin for the 2014 season and has had a strong pre-season, and is sure to quickly become a fan favourite for the loyal West Perth supporters.

38. JAMES EMBLEY – The recruit from Swan Districts and younger brother of Andrew didn’t quite breakthrough for a league appearance at West Perth in 2013, but did have a strong season in the reserves playing 20 games, laying 69 tackles and averaging over 17 possessions a game. The 24-year-old will continue to push for that league debut with the Falcons.

39. BEN O'REGAN – After just two reserves appearances in 2012, the 21-year-old from Marist Junior Football Club had a strong 2013 campaign as a key member of the team that made it all the way to the grand final. Hard working and strong tackling, expect him to take another step in 2014 and possibly even push for league selection.

40. AIDAN LYNCH – Even though the 19-year-old was still eligible to play colts in 2013, he spent the whole season with the reserves playing all 23 matches and was close to a league debut on several occasions. Had a superb season in the team that made the grand final averaging over 15 touches a game.

41. MITCH VAN BERLO – The youngest brother of club captain Jay and Adelaide Crows skipper Nathan continues to develop nicely as a hard-running, versatile player who can play any number of roles. Played 18 colts games in 2011, 13 in the reserves in 2012 and then all 23 in the reserves last year including the finals. Expect him to push for a league spot in 2014.

42. DREW ROHDE – Played all 23 matches with the reserves in 2013 and was tremendous in the team that made the grand final kicking 34 goals. At only 20 years of age, is a player who is capable of pushing up for a league spot before long.

43. MITCH MCPHEE – Bounced back from an injury-interrupted 2012 season to play a full year with the reserves in 2013 and on several occasions he was pushing for a league spot. Is clever, knows where the goals are and can also be effective up the field. Kicked 30 goals in his 21 games in 2013 but has plenty of upside still.

44. NICK RODDA – The 19-year-old big man spent much of 2013 up forward as the main tall target for the Falcons and ended up kicking 17 goals including two in the grand final win over East Perth. Is capable of playing as a key forward and key defender, and with stints in the ruck and as he continues to improve in all areas he looks set to have an even greater impact in 2014.

45. TIM SUTHERLAND – Continues to emerge as a player of the future. The 19-year-old played State 18s in 2012 and while still eligible to play colts last year, came into the reserves team late in the year and showed some good signs. Has a strong leap, always makes a contest and is set to get used to senior football in 2014.

46. DAVID SORGIOVANNI – Is a mature aged recruit coming from Hamersley Carine AFC. David hasn’t missed a beat since arriving and will provide further experience, size and strength to the list. After undergoing his first preseason at the club David will be striving hard to provide an impact and presence on the field.

47. KODY MANNING – Don't be put off by the fact that he is suspended for the first couple of games of the season. Once he comes back, he will be desperate to make his mark and he is coming off a superb 2013 in a new role in the forward-line. He played in the forward half to put pressure on, and he's fierce approach and tackling frightened many an opposition player so look out for when he is ready to play in 2014.

48. BEN MCNAMARA – The 19-year-old from Mukinbudin broke through for his league debut in 2013 where he kicked a goal and didn’t look out of place against East Fremantle in Round 22. Had a terrific year in the reserves as well averaging 15 possessions a game.

49. STEPHEN HEALY – The 20-year-old has now developed impressively in two full seasons in the Falcons reserves after coming through the colts ranks and will be looking to force his way into the league side in 2014. Had an injury-interrupted first half of 2013 but settled into his work nicely in the second half of the year and was part of the reserves finals campaign.

50. JACOB REGAN – Stepped up from the colts to play five reserves matches in 2013 and is ready to step up again in 2014. Is a good size and has the body to play key position, but also runs hard and straight at the ball.

51. SAM MONEY – Got his first taste of senior football in 2013 playing eight reserves matches including the first semi-final win over East Perth and the 20-year-old has had a strong pre-season to enable him to go to another level in 2014.

52. BRODERICK WALTON – Stepped up from the colts to play 11 reserves matches in 2013 and will be looking to earn a permanent spot now in 2014. The 19-year-old trains hard, prepares well and is super competitive – so gives himself every chance to get the best out of himself.

53. DANIEL ACRES – The 19-year-old graduated to play three reserves matches late last season despite still being part of the colts squad and is developing impressively. Is a player to watch with his good pace and willingness to compete.

54. DEAN MUNNS – The 18-year-old is another player looking to make the step up from colts football in 2013 to senior football in 2014. Last year, he played 16 colts matches and showed some good signs as a hard-working midfielder who isn’t afraid to go in for the hard ball and lay a strong tackle.

55. KYLE EGAN – The 18-year-old from Sorrento Duncraig is stepping up from the colts in 2014 and it wouldn’t surprise to see him challenge for a league position before long. In 2013, he played 19 colts matches and averaged over 11 disposals a game.

56. JESSE KIRWEN – The 18-year-old was impressive in his 20 colts matches in 2013 where he averaged 17 possessions a game and now is looking forward to his first taste of senior football in 2014.

57. BLAKE WILHELM – The former SBL basketball player came to West Perth in 2013 looking for a new challenge, and with his natural athletic gifts of good speed and strong vertical leap he showed good signs in his eight reserves matches, and will be looking to add to that in 2014.

58. MARTIN GERAGHTY – The 20-year-old graduated from the colts to play 12 reserves matches in 2013 where he showed some encouraging signs and he will be looking to make the most of his opportunities in 2014.

61. PETER HARVEY – Moved from Subiaco to West Perth in 2012 and impressed in his eight matches in the Falcons colts team last year, and looks ready to make the step up to senior football now in 2014.